Christmas Surprise
by x-Tali-x
Summary: What happens when Abby and McGee have a crazy idea? Ziva recives a mysterious chocolate box, looks like she has an admirer and what can traditions make to our favorite couple. Story better than the summary.


**Disclaimer****: **I don't own anything, this idea came up during a talk on the NCIS Ops forum, I just toyed with Tim's idea. Of course I won't own the characters or these two would already be together. Now enjoy and review.

**Christmas ****Surprise**

Ziva wasn't sure how she ended up where she did. But the truth was undeniable - the day may have passed into a blur, everything seemed to happen so fast until THAT moment. She couldn't put her finger on it; all she remembered was…..

The day had started like any other. Ziva had arrived early, the bullpen was empty; no sign of Tony, Gibbs or even McGee. That might have been odd but it WAS Christmas Eve and most of the people always had special things to organize for their holiday. Even though the team had been performing their usual duties, unlike the rest of the year they were pretty much permitted to leave earlier in the afternoon as long as no pressing need came their way.

She was in the midst of her usual morning routine, Ziva at her desk with her backpack placed on the floor beside her. She had already turned on her computer and was going through her overnight email as she retrieved a file from her desk drawer. Opening the file Ziva started going through what they had so far regarding an intricate cold case when she heard the familiar elevator ring. McGee walked in smiling his greeting at her while Ziva nodded and greeted him back.

"Hey Ziva, going to Ducky's house later today?" McGee asked as he turned his computer on.

"You know I do not celebrate Christmas." She answered him without looking up at her friend.

"Still you've been here for four years, you know a little about the traditions. Besides everyone is going." McGee continued.

"I will think about it McGee but thank you for reminding me." She glanced at him quickly and smiled.

The familiar elevator sound could be heard again, Ziva expected that was DiNozzo but it wasn't, a man stopped in front of her desk and Ziva looked up at him.

"Ms David?" The delivered man asked.

Ziva nodded. "Yes that's me."

The young man handed her a small bag. "If you could sign here." He handed her a pen and the clipboard.

By now McGee's attention was also on what was happening at Ziva's desk. She took the offered pen and signed her name. "Happy Holidays." The delivery man said with one last smile he headed back towards the elevator.

Ziva took the bag and slowly opened it, removing a paper wrapped box. Raising a curious eyebrow as she unwrapped the paper to find a box of her favorite chocolates. Not just any box of chocolates but her all time most favourite in the world! There was a card attached to the box. She read it hoping for some answers

_Dear Ziva._

_Happy Holidays, I know these are your favorite. And maybe they can make your day a little sweeter, just like you make mine._

_You're Admirer._

"So? Who is it from?" McGee asked.

"No idea," Ziva replied. "It was not signed but whoever it is they know what I like." Ziva hadn't removed her gaze from the card, as if she was searching for clues, until without warning the card had been snapped from her gasp. Looking up she was face to face with Anthony DiNozzo.

"Admirer?" DiNozzo asked with that too familiar grin of his. "This is interesting Ziva; I didn't know you had an admirer." Tony looked at the box of chocolates. "Are you going to eat them?" he asked.

She glared at him and placed the box inside the bag, placing the bag in her desk. "Yes, later."

"Bu…" Tony's sentence was interrupted when a hand made contact with the back of his head.

"Give her the card DiNozzo and leave her gift alone." Gibbs walked over to his desk. As always Gibbs' timing was never less than perfect.

"Yes Boss." Tony gave the card back to Ziva who was smiling at the moment; he walked to his desk and started to pretend to work.

The morning passed in routine fashion, but underneath the business like exterior Ziva was still wondering who had sent the gift. They were working on cold cases today, with no new leads or lines of investigation to pursue. This of course meant there was every chance they would all be able to leave early.

The office was decorated with all kinds of colourful Christmas decorations. Abby had made sure to decorate their desks saying that they needed to get into the Christmas spirit, and had even managed to find a Star of David to hang over Ziva's desk. Around lunch time McGee excused himself as he made his way to Abby's lab.

No matter what time of the year, Abby's music was always loud and normally always heavy or death metal at ear splitting volumes. For the past two weeks however her lab really was so in the Christmas spirit one could be forgiven for thinking they had wandered into Santa's Lab. , Christmas decorations could been see in ever corner and covering every piece of equipment in her lab. The Spectroanalyser even had reindeer antlers made from coloured paper attached. McGee walked over to her computers table where Abby seemed to be doing something and he noticed she was dressed differently than other times of the year, a little more colorful maybe.

"Hey Abs." He said with a smile.

Abby turned around and grinned, hugging him. "McGee, Merry Christmas."

McGee hugged her back and smiled. "Merry Christmas Abby, I can see that the Christmas Spirit found its way down here too."

Abby let go of him and nodded making her pigtails bounce. "It started here McGee. Isn't it GREAT! I'm really looking forward for later, how are things upstairs?"

"Pretty quiet, apart from earlier when Ziva received an early gift from some secret admirer."

"Admirer?"

"She has no idea who it was from." His voice was casual; after all he hadn't thought the delivery was any big thing so he had only mentioned it in passing.

Abby turned her head so quickly that McGee wondered how she hadn't hurt "herself. "McGee!!!! Ziva received an anonymous gift and you say it like that????"

She punched him on the arm. "That is a big thing, I have to go and maybe I can find out who it was from. But I'm sure it was Tony."

"Wasn't Tony."

"How do you know?"

"He seemed surprised by it as well."

"Still…." Abby continued "I mean they have all that tension going on between them and this would be the perfect time for him to take matters into his own hands." Abby rumbled pacing on her lab.

"Matters?"

She answered him with girlish giggles and started pacing.

"Abby calm down and stop pacing. This is not a crime scene investigation, it was just a gift." McGee realised that was the wrong thing to say because Abby almost glared at him and walked closer to him.

"It's not just a gift McGee, this could be it, we need to do something." Abby started to pace again.

"Something?"

"Something that would make them admit their feelings to each other McGee. Even a blind person can see what those two have."

"Abby what are you going to do?" He asked fearing the answer.

"Correction McGee, what WE are going to do is…place mistletoe near the elevator; Tony knows the rules so he knows that he and Ziva have to kiss if they find themselves underneath it or its bad luck. All we have to do is make sure that they are both under it at the same time." Abby was grinning like a little girl.

"How are you going to do that?"

Abby walked over him and placed both hands on each side of his head. "Think McGee, think. We will delay them a little, while you make sure they stay behind for a few hours I will place it near the elevator, then we……"

"We???"

"When I say 'we' I mean you. You will make sure you delay them at the elevator long enough so they have to wait together. Tony will get bored and will start to look around, he will spot it and then…" She clapped her hands. "They will kiss."

McGee had to admit that the plan was good but he wasn't sure if it would work. Still he had NO plans to mention that to Abby. She picked her Caf-Pow and took a long sip before returning to explain McGee the details of her wonderful plan, the one she had so kindly called "Operation Kiss."

Meanwhile in the bullpen Gibbs had just announced he was out for coffee. Tony watched him go before turning his attention to his partner and saw she was still working. "So Zee-Vah are you going to Ducky's later?"

"I do not know Tony; I was thinking about staying home. You know I don't celebrate Christmas." She didn't look up at him.

"Yes I know but you have been going there since you joined the team, unless…." He watched her.

Ziva looked up at him. "Unless what Tony?"

"Unless you have someone waiting for you at home, maybe your Israeli friend?" He tried to sound like he didn't care. Deep down however he very much cared whether or not she had someone in her life.

"Why would you want to know? Jealous Tony?" She smirked.

"No, of course not, I just think that Ducky might be a little sad if you don't join us. After all we are like family." Tony said quickly to cover himself.

Ziva watched him a little longer before looking back at her computer screen. "I have no one waiting for me at home."

Tony grinned. "So I take you'll be going then."

"If I agree to go will you stop bothering me and let me work?" She looked at him again.

"Yes, so are you going? That's a yes?" Tony gave her his famous DiNozzo smile.

"Yes I will go. Now shut up and let me work." She returned her attention to her computer screen even though it hadn't changed in almost an hour as she tried not to smile. The truth was Ziva had already decided to attend, but she just wanted to see if Tony really wanted her to.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, too quickly actually. It looked like the day was flying by; Gibbs was the first to leave, saying he would see them later at Ducky's house. McGee had waited until Gibbs was gone to start working on the plan; he noticed that both Ziva and Tony were getting ready to leave too.

"See you later Probie." Tony stood up.

"Wait!! Could you two help me with something?" McGee searched his imagination for something that would delay them and make them stay a little longer.

Ziva looked from Tony to McGee and nodded. "Sure, what is it?"

McGee blushed a little. "Its just I'm not sure what to give to Abs and I was wondering if you two could give me some advice."

Tony grinned. "McGoo you don't know what to give to our gothic princess?" He walked over to McGee's desk.

"What are the options Tim?" Ziva also joined McGee at his desk as the three looked at the computer screen. While McGee was showing them a few of his options for Abby's gift the gothic forensic scientist started to work on her part of the plan, placing a sprig mistletoe near the elevator entrance where she was sure they would stop while waiting for it. With a grin and hid herself, there was no way she would be missing this.

"Thanks guys." McGee said when he felt his cell phone vibrating that was the signal from Abby to let him know that her part was done.

"You're welcome Tim; I'm sure she will like it." Ziva walked over to her desk and picked her backpack. "Are you coming too?"

"No, I need to finish something first and I promised to give Abby a ride." He smiled at them.

"Suit yourself McGeek, see you later then." Tony picked his backpack and walked over to the elevator with Ziva.

McGee watched them and quickly got to the elevator system, doing his part and stopping the elevator. He just hoped that no one was in it.

Tony pressed the button again. "This thing is getting even slower by the day." Tony started to look around while waiting for the elevator.

"Maybe its Gibbs' fault, you know how he keeps turning the switch off when he has a meeting." Ziva too started to look around.

They were both standing under the mistletoe; Tony was the first to notice and as Abby predicted a big grin appeared on his face. "Zee-Vah looks like I will have to kiss you."

Ziva turned to look at him. "What?" Her eyes wide in surprise.

Tony simply pointed up and she too looked up, raising a brow. "What is that?"

"Mistletoe." Tony looked at her still grinning.

"And? You will have to kiss me because of that?" She looked back at him.

"Yes, you see tradition says that when you are caught under a mistletoe you have to kiss the other person that is with you." He simply explained.

"But I don't follow those traditions that do not apply to me." Ziva stated simply.

"Come on Ziva, traditions are traditions, you have to follow specially on Christmas Eve." He leaned closer to her. "Do you really want to miss the Christmas spirit?"

Ziva could feel his hot breath on her lips, she changed her gaze from his lips to his eyes and was caught in his gaze, her mind seemed to have stopped working. "I…well since its tradition and it is Christmas Eve I think that it wouldn't harm to follow it, yes?" Her voice was above a whisper.

"I totally agree with you." Tony cupped her face with his right hand and gently brushed his lips against hers.

Ziva had closed her eyes slowly, just taking in the feeling of his lips on hers. She rested her right hand on his hip as she started to kiss him back, what had started as a simple kiss for the sake of an old time tradition had become a passionate kiss between two soul mates. By now Tony's left arm was wrapped around the small of her waist, his hand tangled behind her dark locks. Ziva's arms had found their way to Tony's neck. Where they were hiding Abby and McGee grinned, their mission was completed and what a success it had been.

"I told you McGee, " Abby whispered. "They just needed a little push." Abby looked at him with a big grin.

"Yes, they just needed a little push." He too grinned but he saw Abby looking up, following her gaze they found themselves under a mistletoe too. "I guess we have to follow the tradition too."

Abby grinned and nodded. "Yes, we really have to follow them."

McGee and Abby leaned closer their lips brushing against each others before turning into a sweet and gentle kiss; it seemed that Operation Kiss had worked its magic not only on Tony and Ziva but on Abby and McGee too.

Slowly Tony and Ziva moved away, still he kept his arm around her waist, he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I sent you the chocolates, "he confessed. "I knew they were your favorite and I just wanted to do something special for you, after all you do that for me everyday."

Ziva's grin went wider when she heard his words. They moved closer until they rested their foreheads against each other. "Well I do have your gift back at home, maybe we could go together to my house first and then we could head out to Ducky's."

He gently brushed her cheek with his knuckles. "I love that idea, whatever my ninja wants." He winked at her.

With their arms around each other the two had decided to take the stairs, the elevator was taking too long and they still wanted to enjoy a little moment alone before heading to Ducky's. What they didn't know was that the reason for the elevator not working was because their Elf Lord and Gothic Princess were too busy with each other following the Christmas traditions. This would be a day that Ziva David would never forget, this had been the best Christmas surprise ever and she would make sure that Tony would know that once they were alone again.


End file.
